Improvement in attaching wheels to axles



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y Improvement. in Attaching Wheels to Axleg.

N.v 121,270. Y PafeM'NOV. 2851871.

UNITED STATES PATENT JOHN WILLIAMS BEAL, or soUTH ScITUATE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN ATTACHING WHEELSjTQ AXLES.

'Specicaftio-n forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,270, dated November 28, 1871. e

cap, (aiixed to the outer end of the hub,) show- ?.ig the Sliding lock-plate or spring-retainer, to

.be hereinafter described. .My invention relates .to an improved method .of attaching wheels to their axles, whereby they can be either readily applied thereto or rea moved therefrom, as circumstances may require; fand my invention consists in the peculiar con- ,jstructidn of the outer end of the journal or axle, viz.: with a conical head and anannul/aiy'groove to operate with a sliding retainer/or lockingfplate disposed within the metallic cap or cylindrical casing affixed to the'y outer end of the hub. ,j A In. the said drawing, A denotes the hub of a `wheel; B, a part of an axle; and (l, the journal thereof. rEhe outer end of the saidl journal is formed tapering, or with a conical head, a.. b is an annular groove, madetransversely in the said journal and near the outer extremity thereof.- D is a hollow metallic cap, which is aixed by means of screws to the outer end of the hub, so as to be removable therefrom whenever it j Y may be desirable. Within` the said cap D a 'cylindrical washer or bearing-plate, C, is disposed, the outer end of such' plate, when the cap I is affixedto thehub, bearing against the outer 'end of Vthe hub. Y .The said washer or plate has v not only a hole made through it to receive the end of the journal, but also a rectangular recess -orchamben d, to receive 'a sliding lock-plate or retainer, @having theform asshown in side view-inc Fig. 2, and a thickness corresponding lwithjthe width of the groove b of the journal, v with which it operates. f is a coiled spring, 1 which serves to forcek and -maintainthe said -Slider or lock-plate in itgroove 5, or, instead of -being made separate, thesaid cap D and the and Fig. 2 an innerend view vof the metallicV washer or lo'caring-plate may be cast or formed in one piece, the said bearing surface and inner 'face of the slider being in the same plane, and e so as to abut against the end of the hub. Furthermore, the said cap has a hole, g, bored transversely through it; anddirectly over the end of the slider, which is opposite to that against which A the springfl is located, such hole being closed by a screw-plug, h,`which performs the double function of closing` 'the hole and adjusting the tension of the spring or the friction of the lockingplate upon the journal. The object ofv the said hole j' is to enable Va pin or other suitable'device to be inserted therein, and, by impact against such end .of the slider, bring the axis of the latter into correspondence with the-axis of,.- the journal so as to enable thelwheel to be withdrawn from theaxle or journal.

From the above it will be evident that in applying the wheel to the axle all that is requisite is simply to insert the end of the axle within the box ofthe wheel and push the latter inward until the inner end of the hub abuts against the shoulder of the axle, the conical head or end of the journal striking against the annular edge of the slider bringing the latter into such position as to enable the said head to readily pass through the same, when thecatch-plate, coming into juxtaposition with the groove b, is forced.

therein and thus automatically locks the wheel to the axle; while inrremoving the wheel I simply have to unscrew the plu-gh and insert a'pin or suitable device within such openin g and push backward the slider until its annularopening shall coincide with the conformation ofthe axle, when the wheel can be readily removed.

Having described my invention, what I claim is as follows:

My improved wheel and axle connection, the same consisting of the sliding catch-plate e provided with a spring, j', iu combination with the conical head c andV annular groove b, the whole being arranged and applied together and to the journal and hub of a wheel so as to operate in manner and for the purpose set forth.

- J. WILLIAMS BEAL.'A

Witnesses F. T. HALE, 

